Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Christmast Lost and Found
If you walked into my house, you would never know that Christmas is only 11 days away. There is no tree, no presents (wrapped or unwrapped), no cards and no cookies. There are some stockings, not hung by the chimney with care, but rather piled on the couch (CLEAN!) waited to be matched, folded and put away. The only Christmas music you'll hear is from television commercials, but you won't even hear that because nobody is watching television either. If we're home at all, we're either sleeping, practicing, or doing some form of school-related work.
Right now, there is no Christmas in our house. There is December, but no Christmas.
December is a crazy month. There have been rehearsals for something and usually more than one something every single day. And I'm not cheating by counting classroom rehearsals. There have been ten performances with six more pending. There have been auditions, applications and essays. December has been late nights early mornings blanketed with a thick coat of stress.
With stories of elves, holiday baking, parties, decorations, and other festivities, my lot in life sounds a bit sad and depressing. Surprisingly though, it isn't. I will freely admit that we are all stretched, and the word tired doesn't even come close. But it is with the smallest amount of pride that I tell you we're all hanging in there. Some days it's better than others, but we've circled the familial wagons. We have pulled together to execute complex schedules and transports that would make the military weep. We have made certain we have the correct music, instrument, book, assignment, supporting document, permission slip, fee, gift, clothing, performance attire, contributing money or snack that is required.
But most important of all is that we, as a family have been there for each other. If there is an event, we, and many of our wonderful friends, have attended to support whomever is performing and enjoy the offering. If there was an obligation, we fulfilled it. And when one of us is down, overwhelmed, or frazzled to the point of despair, someone else has been there to lend a hand, a sympathetic ear, or a well-needed hug.
There may be no tree or twinkling lights or decorations or presents in our house right now, but there is something even more valuable. There is patience, support and love in the form of family and friends.
Truth be told, I can't think of a better Christmas present.
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1 comment:
It sounds like you have the spirit of Christmas even if you don't have the trappings of Christmas. And the trappings of Christmas are really just a trap to pull us away from the spirit, right?
As an educator and musician, I can definitely sympathize with the busy, run-down feeling of the season (and we are, just to make it REALLY fun, moving in the next week, which is the other reason why we haven't decorated).
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